


Pale Mornings and Bandages

by WinslowButGreen



Category: Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: (Is that a tag??), Bandaging old wounds, I wanted something soft but also kinda melancholic so I wrote this, Implied/Referenced Animal Death, Low-key shippy but also can be seen as totally platonic, Post-Super Dangan Ronpa 2, Purposefully kinda vague dialogue, Scars, whichever you prefer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:33:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27358078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinslowButGreen/pseuds/WinslowButGreen
Summary: Kazuichi Soda wouldn't call Gundham Tanaka his favorite person, even after they've moved on from their past.But years after the events of the Tragedy and the killing game, and everyone's woken up, he's more than willing help him out where he can.
Relationships: Soda Kazuichi & Tanaka Gundham
Comments: 1
Kudos: 23





	Pale Mornings and Bandages

**Author's Note:**

> The Remnants of Despair are one of my favorite things to come out of SDR2. There's just something appealing about learning that all the characters you've come to know and love helped bring about the end of the world- there's a lot of untapped potential in what they did for the sake of Despair, and due to the whole brainwashing thing, they could technically be absolved of responsibility for their actions.
> 
> But I also really like thinking about the characters after all is said and done, after the events of SDR2. I like to think of their slow way to recovery, the way they slowly learn to cope with their actions during Despar and how their actions continue to affect them in the years after. Not to mention how their relationships with each other will change after everything.
> 
> And I finally got around to writing a bit of the later, so... yeah. Have at it!

A couple years spent in a place makes it easier for habits to settle.

Akane and Nekomaru had gotten into morning jogs as soon as the latter had woken up. Fuyuhiko vanishes right before sunset every day, and always comes back just as darkness settles in. The day always starts off with breakfast, everyone who can come arrives to eat in the restaurant.

And on the days when it’s a larger breakfast- usually when Hajime and Teruteru both wake up feeling alright- often the people who arrive early end up walking throughout the hotel to check on the people still in their rooms to invite them to eat.

The room check is a usual for Kazuichi, not entirely of his own volition. They all spread out to check on the others, and he checks on his handful of people, opening doors and exchanging a handful of words.

As usual, when he ends up in front of Gundham's door, he hesitates.

Normally, Gundham is down earlier than all the others, and often even does the room check with them- but this morning, his door is closed.

Kazuichi hovers in the hallway for a second before he inhales sharply, and puts his hand on the door handle, delicately clicking and pushing it open and half-hoping Gundham is asleep.

As opposed to something else.

When he opens the door, he's greeted by open curtains making the room look pale and gray. The bed is empty, and unmade.

Gundham is sitting on the floor next to it, his back against the wall and his hair a disheveled mess. His arms both are limp, one resting on the knee he's propped up against the side of his bed, and the other lacking it's usual bandages, revealing a variety of scars scattered along his hand and forearm.

It's not the worst sight to be greeted by.

But it's not up there with one of the greater ones, either.

“Hey, Tanaka,” Kazuichi says, mouth dry and hands fidgeting. “What's going on?”

Gundham's gaze doesn't rise to meet his, and simply rests on his scarred hand.

“There are hundreds of beasts that I had tamed over time,” he says, voice steady. “From rodents to felines, and canines and reptiles.” He trails his fingers gently along his scars, a fragile touch. “And they are almost certainly all dead now.”

Kazuichi hovers in the doorway, unsure of his place to reply.

“Hey,” he says, awkwardly clamping his mouth on his his tongue immediately afterwards. “I'm... you know that's nothing you can control, right?”

Gundham's fingers continue tracing and circling the old scars.

“Of course I am aware,” he says, “though I suppose a reminder isn't unhelpful.”

It's something, which is more than Kazuichi expected.

“Can I come in?” The nod is slow and short, but still enough that Kazuichi hesitantly takes a step in. “You know, I get that getting dressed is hard a little too personally- and I’m not judging, promise- but... don't you normally cover those up for a reason?”

“Covering them will not remove them from my flesh,” Gundham says.

“Is having them easy to stare at making it any easier?”

Gundham says nothing, but his motions on the scars stop.

A brief quiet.

Kazuichi inhales, as if it'll help loosen the tightness in his chest, and asks, “Do you want me to bandage them for you?”

Gundham's brows furrow, and his voice is tense as he says, “My veins are filled with poison.”

“I'm no saint either,” Kazuichi replies.

Gundham's gaze still lingers on his scars. He doesn't continue tracing them.

“I’m not going to touch you unless you tell me to,” Kazuichi continues, “and I'll leave as soon as you ask. But if there is anything I can do...” he gulps. “I'm more than willing to help. All past grudges aside.”

Gundham doesn’t respond immediately. The sounds of the others walking around the hotel have faded, resulting in an almost silence.

“The binding by which I keep my scars hidden,” Gundham’s voice breaks the silence, “is within the topmost drawer on my bedside.”

“Okay.” He pauses. “Are you alright if I go get them...?”

Gundham reaches towards his scars again, but doesn't touch. “You may.”

Kazuichi’s pace is slow as he makes his way over to the bedside table, and he's cautious as he opens the topmost drawer. He's careful to touch nothing but the bandages and the pin that keeps them together, closing the drawer gently as he can before he walks around the bed and towards Gundham.

“Do you wanna just stay there while I do this?” Kazuichi asks.

“I believe it would be best.”

Slowly, Kazuichi lowers himself to the ground, hyper alert as he watches every miniscule expression of Gundham's face, and his heart races as he keeps note of every bit of both their body languages.

At an agonizing pace, he finds himself sitting on the floor, letting his legs fall to the ground.

“I'm gonna need you to stop touching your scars if you want me to bandage them,” Kazuichi says, and he waits as Gundham hesitantly draws his fingers away. “Are you okay if I start now?”

Gundham is silent for a minute, possibly longer, before he deeply exhales.

“I have cast protective enchantments so that the poison shall not affect you,” he says, and his gaze finally flickers away from his hand to briefly meet Kazuichi’s. “You may begin.”

Kazuichi inhales, and starts bandaging.

Neither of them speak as he does so. The only sounds are that of their mutual quiet breathing, and that of the bandages against each other. Only once does Kazuichi ask if he's doing alright- and Gundham murmurs a yes, so he continues.

Gundham doesn't ask why Kazuichi seems to be familiar with the motions as he bandages his hand. Kazuichi doesn't ask the story behind any of the scars as he covers them one by one.

And it's quiet.

The repetitive motion of the bandaging makes him lose his sense of time, and he's not sure if it's minutes or an hour by the time the bandages finally cover every scarred finger.

They're looser than Gundham's usual precision, not woven quite as tight.

But they're there.

Kazuichi checks once more to make sure there aren’t any gaps, then pins them all together.

“You're okay with that, right?” he asks, looking up at Gundham again.

Gundham nods.

Kazuichi isn't quite sure what to do here. His hands have stopped moving, and neither are saying anything, so they're both sitting on the floor, one of them almost holding the others hand.

Gundham's arm suddenly tenses, and Kazuichi sharply inhales.

“May I,” his voice is strained, as if a great effort is pulling at his lungs, “bring my hand to your face?”

It's an odd request from most, but especially from Gundham Tanaka.

“You promise not to poison me?” Kazuichi asks, the grin half from his own joke and half from the nerves.

Gundham doesn't quite meet his eyes as he says, “No poison of my veins shall even come close to grazing your skin.”

Kazuichi doesn't quite know how to reply, so he takes a leaf from Gundham's book and nods.

It's a series of cautious motions, as Gundham sits up from the wall, and the hand Kazuichi had just covered raises in a slow motion. There’s a heaviness in the air, and yet despite it weighing on his body, Kazuichi doesn't flinch.

The cloth of the bandages had just filled his hands mere minutes before, yet the scratching softness of it feels unfamiliar as it brushes against his cheek.

Neither say a word as Gundham's fingers gently brush strands of hair from his face, his palm eventually making its way to rest on his cheek, and Kazuichi inhales without letting it go.

They're both quiet, a sense familiar to them at this point.

Kazuichi is hyper aware when he raises his own hand, placing it over Gundham's, and he feels the tension that's wracked Gundham's body finally fall away- and the tension in Kazuichi's own body finally melts, and he exhales softly as he leans into the touch.

There's no audible clock, so they sit in their own quiet without a sense of time. The sounds of their breath and the feel of each other's touch is what they're most aware of in the present moment, and both find themselves content.

They couldn't stay like that forever though. Gundham's hand starts to draw away, and Kazuichi lets it go, his own hand falling to his lap as he sits up straight again.

The distant noises of the hotel make themselves known again, something distant from the kitchen that's close enough to be familiar but too far to be distinguishable.

“You want to come down for breakfast, or do you want me to bring you something up?” Gundham's brows furrow, so he adds, “Nobody'll mind if you miss today. Mioda’s not feeling it either, so Tsumiki's gonna be handling her meals today.”

Gundham's gaze turns towards the window, the sunlight streaming through starting to warm the room.

“I believe I will not make myself known for today’s morning meal,” he says, “though you may announce that I will most certainly make my appearance at noon.”

“That sounds like a solid plan,” Kazuichi says, bracing himself against the ground as he starts to stand up. “I'm not too sure what Hinata and Hanamura are making, they still hadn't decided when I was down there. Do you have any preferences?”

“Nothing in particular calls for me today,” he says, “you may bring whatever no one else finishes.”

“Alrighty,” Kazuichi says, his hands falling to his pockets. “Also, the supply ship'll be coming in at the end of the week, do you want me to put in any requests for you, or do you want to do that yourself?”

“I believe it is best I use my own voice to express my desires,” Gundham says, running his hand through his hair. “Though... should that change, I may let you know.”

“Of course- sure thing,” Kazuichi says, slowly heading towards the door before pausing in the doorway one last time. “Uh... and if you ever need somebody to do your bandages for you or anything again... I'm usually available if Tsumiki isn't.”

There’s a brief quiet, then Gundham lets out a soft huff.

“I will keep that in mind,” he says, “you will not meet any misfortune by me, Kazuichi Soda.” He inhales deeply. “You… have my gratitude.”

Kazuichi waits at the door just a moment longer.

“It's no problem,” he says, offering a grin before he finally enters the hallway, shutting the door gently behind him.

He walks down to the kitchen, hands in his pockets, still feeling the warmth on his cheek where Gundham Tanaka’s hand had rested.


End file.
